Nick Rosen photos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93359595@N04/12333044803/player/615174a8b5
Martin Meyers has some photos too, and originally reported the bird. Hopefully he will post a link on this thread. Unfortunately I am on the road and do not have links to provide.
On Feb 6, 2014, at 3:46 PM, James Holmes wrote:
> Are there recent photos of this bird?
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim HOlmes
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: discussion about Nevada's bird life [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Zachary Ormsby
> Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 3:28 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Fwd: Slaty-backed Gull in Reno
>
> Hello Northern NV birders. Martin Meyers originally reported the bird in
> question, and it has had me stumped for quite some time. Nick Rosen gave a
> great description of the bird, and I immediately had a hunch. I sent word
> to Tristan McKee (formerly of the California Bird Records Committee) and his
> response is posted below. Lets go get some photos!!!
> *quick ID tips.... short primaries, long legs, thick neck, darker than
> Thayer's. The Japanese gull site is a great reference for photos.
> http://www23.tok2.com/home/jgull/slayty.html
>
> Zachary Ormsby
> Reno Nevada 2/6/14
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: Tristan McKee <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: Slaty-backed Gull in Reno
>> Date: February 6, 2014 3:06:38 PM PST
>> To: Zachary Ormsby <[log in to unmask]>
>>
>> At Zachary Ormsby's request, I took another look at the interesting "large
> Thayer's-type" gull that has been frequenting Sparks Marina. I believe this
> is the same bird Martin Meyers photographed earlier this winter, and having
> spent the winter researching this topic, I think it can be identified as a
> Slaty-backed Gull. It was extremely dark when it showed up in fresh juvenal
> plumage, and this look is unfamiliar to North Americans but can be seen in
> many photos on the Japanese Gull-Site. The very short primaries of this bird
> are typical of Slaty-backed; note that the primaries are significantly
> shorter than the distance between the base of P10 and the bend in the wing.
> The bill structure looks perfect for a female Slaty-backed; people tend to
> hone in on only the males. We are having this problem with a very similar
> female in Arcata, CA:
>>
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/101791769@N08/with/12295139076/
>>
>> I am quite sure that this bird is too big and too dark for a Thayer's.
> There are a lot of other helpful features, which I will elaborate on later,
> but I wanted to get this out ASAP so that people might be able to see it
> today or tomorrow. More photos of the wing structure would be most helpful!
>>
>> Best of luck,
>>
>> Tristan McKee
>